Up to the twenty-fifth year of his life the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam had lived alone. At the peak of his youth he possessed all the qualities of a promising young man : he was good-natured, sound of mind and body and a perfect specimen of Arab manliness. His strength, courage and skill in horsemanship were qualities esteemed by the Arabs. However, his youth was free from every blemish. Neither his worst enemies during his lifetime nor the European mud-slinging critics of later centuries have ever been able to find the slightest fault with this critical period of his life. His chastity, innocence and purity of heart were astonishing. Never did he indulge in anything evil or immoral. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam never married any virgin except Aisha Radhi Allahu Anha.

He married Khadija Radhi Allahu Anha at the age of twenty five. She was a widow who had been twice married, and had children from her earlier husbands. As most of the authorities agree, she was fifteen years older than him.

The prophet's marriages were motivated for specific reasons and purposes. His marriage to Aisha and Hafsa, the daughters of Abu Bakr and Umar Radhi Allahu Anhum respectively, was to cement the relationship with these two leading personalities. It was for this reason also that he married his daughter, Fatima, to Ali and Ruqaiya and Umm Kulthum to Uthman Radhi Allahu Anhum. These four men would later become the khaliphs (leaders) of the Muslims.

His marriages to Zainab bint Jahsh were aimed at eradicating a deeply rooted custom amongst the Arabs. The Arabs had regarded an adopted son exactly like a real son as far as the rights of marriage, divorce and inheritance were concerned. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam had to marry Zainab himself and show that there was no stigma attached to marrying the divorced wife of one's adopted son. This custom was only then uprooted. A verbal command was not sufficient in producing the desired effect.

All his marriages were dictated by considerations of kindliness, cementing the bonds of friendship with alien tribes, setting an example of virtuous behaviour for the Muslims, achieving some public good or preventing danger to the developing community of Islam.

In the tribal society of Arabia, family and matrimonial relationships had a special significance unknown to any other part of the world. Ties of blood brought security and dignity. Hostility and fighting was simply not acceptable once marriages were in place. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam wanted to demolish the hatred of the Arabs towards Islam and, thus, married many of his wives. This was the case with Umm Salamah, Umm Habibah, Juwairiyah and Safiyah Radhi Allahu Anhunna. When these women entered the household of the Prophet it proved beneficial in strengthening ties with their respective tribes.

The wives of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam were not lewd and base women who were married out of lust and animal instincts. Once they entered the prophetic household they were imbibed with the noblest qualities of womanhood, knowledge and good character. Their grace, compassion, generosity, nobility, patience, modesty and kindness were beyond description. Their generosity is well illustrated by the following incident :

Once the khaliph, Mu'awiyah Radhi Allahu Anhu, sent one hundred thousand dirhams to Aisha Radhi Allahu Anha and by the end of the month she had given it away to the poor and the needy. Upon this her slave said to her, "It would have been better if you had kept meat to the value of a dirham." Aisha Radhi Allahu Anha replied, "Why did you not tell me earlier?"

The Prophet Sallallahi Alaihi Wasallam married many times so that his wives could learn the finer points of his personal life and propagate this to the generations to come. Since Islam prevents intermingling of men and women the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam had to choose women of different ages and backgrounds so that they could learn the faith and teach others in turn.